Mailbox Monday

by Carol2 Comments
Thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page for hosting Mailbox Monday.  I only remember getting one in the mail this week and I didn't stop at the library, so no loot from there. We did have a garage sale, though, and I saved about a dozen books that had been boxed up a while ago, so it's almost like they're new. The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand I received this for a blog tour in July. Greg and Tess MacAvoy are one of four prominent Nantucket couples who count each other as best friends. As pillars of their close-knit community, the MacAvoys, Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers are important to their friends and neighbors, and especially to each other. But just before the beginning of another idyllic summer, Greg and Tess are killed when their boat capsizes during an anniversary sail. As the warm weather approaches and the island mourns their loss, nothing can prepare the MacAvoy's closest friends for what will be revealed....
Read More

Giveaways in Blogland

by Carol2 Comments
I thought I’d let you know some of the giveaways I ran across this week. If you have one you want added to next week’s list, let me know in the comments. As always, my current giveaways are listed on my sidebar. Your choice from a box of books, at Today's Adventure (ends June 25, US and Canada) The Way Home by George Pelecanos (audiobook), at A Bookworm's World (ends June 23, US and Canada, no PO boxes) Blood Bar by Norm Applegate, at Chic Book Chick (ends June 9, US and Canada, no PO boxes) Drey is having an interesting giveaway for her birthday, at Drey's Library (ends June 30) East of the Sun by Julia Gregsson, at Historical-Fiction.com (ends June 12, international) Ghost Huntress: The Awakening by Marley Gibson, at J. Kaye's Book Blog (ends June 27, US and Canada) The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget by Josh Dorfman, at Not So Average Mama (ends June 14, US) My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, at The Social Frog (ends June...
Read More

The Case of the Night-Stalking Bone Monster by John R. Erickson

by Carol3 Comments
The Case of the Night-Stalking Bone Monster (Hank the Cowdog #27) by John R. Erickson From the back: Join the Head of Ranch Security, his sidekick Drover, and an old pal Dogpound Ralph as they track down the elusive monster who strikes the ranch and makes off with a fortune in buried T-bones. Fearless Hank battles with Pete the barncat, woos Miss Scamper the Beagle, helps Ralph recover from a serious case of Milk of Amnesia, and risks his life to solve the mystery of the Night-Stalking Bone Monster. My thoughts: Once again, this is one of Amber's picks. It's not my favorite kids series, but it's okay. There are a lot of funny spots and plays on words.  I'm not sure if Amber caught all of the jokes, but she caught enough to think it's hilarious. I think my favorite part had to be the buzzard "Emergency Airborne Medical Services." I liked how the dogs made up the monster themselves, and then scare themselves silly worrying and barking at...
Read More

National Donut Day

by Carol4 Comments
It's National Donut Day, so if you didn't have one for breakfast, go out and get one now. National Donut Day is celebrated on the first Friday of June. It was officially established in 1938 by the Salvation Army to raise funds during the Depression and as a tribute to Army "lassies" who had served donuts to soldiers during World War I. For more information, visit the Salvation Army's website. Donut trivia:  In the U.S. alone, more than 10 billion donuts are made every year. The hole in the donut's center appeared in the first half of the 19th Century. Clark Gable taught Claudette Colbert how to dunk her donut in "It Happened One Night". Adolph Levitt invented the first donut machine in 1920. And a couple of  quote: Doughnuts will get you through times with no money better than money will get you through times with no doughnuts. Donuts. Is there anything they can't do? -Matt Groening...
Read More

A Night at the Operation by Jeffrey Cohen

by Carol5 Comments
A Night at the Operation by Jeffrey Cohen Description: Most men wouldn't be terribly upset if their ex-wives suddenly vanished. But most men aren't Elliot Freed. So when Sharon disappears, Elliot finds it impossible to focus on running Comedy Tonight. And when it's rumored that Sharon might be somehow connected to a patient's death—which looks like murder—Elliot embarks on a frantic search for his ex with help from her soon-to-be-second-ex-husband, Elliot's passive-aggressive mother and desperate-to-please father, and his good friend Detective Meg Vidal. And the longer Sharon is gone, the less stable Elliot becomes... My thoughts: The Double Feature Mysteries have to be one of the funniest mystery series I've read, and this latest installment is not an exception. It's full of one-liners and laugh out loud moments. Even though Elliott is scared to death about Sharon, and the theater is by turns flooding and catching on fire, Elliott's sense of humor still shines through. It's a reflex, a part of his personality, and he...
Read More